AUDIO IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

With a microphone or an MP3 recorder teachers can create a range of teaching audio resources that include lectures, topic summaries, assignments, and interviews with industry experts and other teachers. In the hands of students these tools provide an opportunity to practice and improve writing and verbal communication skills as they develop scripts for and record interviews, discussions, project summaries, product reviews, etc. These teacher and student resources when embedded in blogs and wikis provide “anytime - anywhere” access and enable collaboration and sharing of comments.

Audio can be used in versatile and imaginative ways in the design and development of teaching resources. As audio presents the spoken word, it enables information to be presented directly to an audience, even if it is only one way communication. Audio can also be used to supplement other media such as text, photographs, and graphics.

Advantages of Using Audiofor Teaching Resources
Audio has the following advantages:
• provides a human touch.
• is relatively quick to produce.
• a large quantity of additional information can be included in audio segments, such as a more detailed explanation and a direct emphasis to important points.
• can provide the instructions or a description that guides product/service users.
• assists understanding of written material;
• adds variety to concepts.
• for users who have difficulty with reading audio provides an alternative to relying on reading ability alone.

>Resources Development Process

>Audio Resources Examples

1. A teacher's podcast players. As new audio files are added to the podcast service the player is automatically updated. The player on the left is from the Podomatic service and the one on the right from the Odeo service

2. Student podcast exercise: In this exercise students were required to prepare an audio review of a new software product

3. Student audio exercise: In this exercise students were required to record an interview with a subject matter expert (another student) for a specified topic. This student uses an online robot (text/voice translator, Talkr.com) to interview herself as the expert.

4. Teacher's "interview" with an industry expert. Students use the interview as a basis for discussion.

EXERCISES FOR EMBEDDING AUDIO RESOURCES

>>Voice Resources

In this exercise you will create, and save as mp3 files, audio teaching resources using the Audacity software. You will also be able to upload your teaching resources to the WWW's DivShare host service and copy the host's html code to embed players for your resources in a class wiki or blog for delivery to your students.
Click here for this exercise's instructions...

Exercise Summary
1. Open the Audacity software
2. Record an audio teaching resource using a script or prompts
3. Save the audio as an mp3 file
4. Register for a free account with the Web file host service- DivShare.com OR the Internet Archive (Archive.org) and Studio.Odeo.com
5. Upload a copy of the mp3 file to the web host service - DivShare.com OR obtain the URL for your mp3 file from the Internet Archive
6. Copy the file's embed code for the file's audio player from the DivShare host service OR create a link to your file's URL from Studio.Odeo and obtain a player's embed code from the Odeo service.7. Embed the audio player in your workshop's wiki space

>>Voice, Music and Effects Resources

In this exercise you will create,using Audacity software,audio teaching resources combining voice and music and save the resources as mp3 files. You will store your audio files with the Internet Archive and obtain URL's for the files. You will link your files' URL's to the Odeo web service and obtain players for your files from that service.
Click here for this exercise's instructions...

Exercise Summary
1. Using a microphone attached to your computer, record an interview with a "subject matter expert" (2 min. maximum).
2. Select music to introduce and close your interview (approx. 5 secs).
3. Select background music for the interview.
4. Open the multiple audio files in Audacity for integration.
5. Combine and save the audio files for your teaching resource.
6. Save files in mp3 format for replay.
7. Upload your file to the Internet Archive host service and obtain the file's URL
8. Link your file to the Studio.Odeo.com podcast service.9. Copy the embed code for a player for your resource and embed the player in your workshop's wiki space.

>>Podcast Resources

In this exercise you will create a multiple file pocast player for your audio teaching resources and embed the player in your class wiki or blog. You will create your player using the WWW's Odeo podcast service and develop a list of audio teaching resources for your player by creating links to your audio resources stored in the Internet Archive. Note that your player will automatically update as you add further audio file links to the Odeo podcast service.

Exercise Summary
1. Create a free account with the OdeoStudio podcast service
2. Create a free account with the Internet Archive file host service.
3. Create a short audio introduction "Welcome to my podcasts......" and upload the .mp3 file to your MediaMax account.
4. Move your .mp3 file to the MediaMax HOSTED folder and obtain the MediaMax URL for your audio introduction from this folder.
5. Using the .mp3 file's URL, create a link to the audio introduction in your OdeoStudio webservice account.
6. Place the Odeo link in your Odeo podcast folder.7. Obtain the html code for the folder's player and embed the player in your workshop's wiki space.

>AUDIO PROJECTS RESOURCES

More sound effects. These are from Sonific (who provide a great music widget for your blogs/wikis) to add interest to your audio projects...particularly in the introductionshttp://sonific.com/browse/result/188